Last September several major cities in California sued 5 major energy producers over climate change. Now New York City and major cities in the Northeast have followed suit. I hope EVERYbody in the United States does too. They got it coming.

New York City Sues Energy Companies Over Climate Change

City officials say the five companies sued knew about the threat of climate change from the burning of fossil fuels, but have continued their business practices regardless

The city of New York wants to lay the realities of climate change at the feet of the energy companies the city says are responsible.

In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York this week, counsel for the city allege that Exxon Mobil Corp., BP, Chevron Corp., ConocoPhillips Co. and Shell produced, marketed and sold “massive quantities” of fossil fuels, despite knowing “for decades” the impact their use would have on the environment.

That there is a social shared responsibility for climate changing behavior “is a myth,” the city claims. The companies—the five largest in the world as measured by cumulative carbon and methane pollution, according to the city—are responsible for 11 percent of all fossil fuel-related emissions since the start of the Industrial Revolution. Their industry-leading “public relations strategy … downplaying the risks of climate change and promoting fossil fuel use despite the risks” makes them further liable, according to the city.

“New York City is standing up for future generations by becoming the first major city to divest our pension funds from fossil fuels,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement. “At the same time, we’re bringing the fight against climate change straight to the fossil fuel companies that knew about its effects and intentionally misled the public to protect their profits. As climate change continues to worsen, it’s up to the fossil fuel companies whose greed put us in this position to shoulder the cost of making New York safer and more resilient.”

First Woolsey couldn’t get the location of the well head and the lateral line of drilling correct on their application. Then they got swamped with negative comments from the public. Now the regulatory agency wants more information. This while oil is below 50 $$ per barrel. What is going on here?

Regulators seek more details on state’s first fracking permit

Illinois regulators have asked for added information on environmental and other safeguards as a decision nears on the state’s first application for a hydraulic fracturing permit since the law was approved in 2013.

Woolsey Companies Inc., an energy development company based in Wichita, Kansas, seeks to become the first driller approved for the practice of using high pressure water and chemicals to free gas and oil from deep rock formations, also known as fracking.

Illinois regulations were not finalized until 2014.

A notice filed Monday by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources asks for additional information on handling of fracturing fluids, containment measures, traffic management, the effect on fresh water, water source management and operations details at the site near the southeastern Illinois community of Enfield. The department gave the company until Aug. 24 to provide the information in order to meet the Aug. 31 deadline for a decision.

“Failure to respond to this letter in a timely manner may result in your application being rejected or denied,” the notice states.

Someone has finally applied for a permit to frack an oil well in Illinois. Even though they could not get the exact location of that well right on their application, they still plunge ahead. Even though oil prices are quite low, they want to try. I have a bad feeling about this but we shall see.

Woolsey Companies first to apply for Illinois fracking permit

Four years after former Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation that cleared the way for fracking in Illinois, the state has received its first application for a drilling permit.

Woolsey Companies Inc. is looking to drill a well near Enfield in southeastern White County. The company is based in Wichita, Kansas.

Illinois Department of Natural Resources spokesman Tim Schweizer says the original paperwork was received on May 22, but the company is expected to submit an amended application to correct a few problems. That will extend the window for officials to consider the proposal.

“It appears now we’ll have until August 31 to [decide],” Schweizer said. “The Illinois Oil and Gas staff here at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources will be reviewing the permit application and will ultimately make the decision on whether it is approved or denied.”

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I must say that the general public is slanted against comedians. First, they think comedy is easy. It is not. It is very hard and mentally challenging. Second, they assume that acomedian could never be a good politician. I think Al Franken proves them wrong on both counts. I think he is an excellent comedian and a politician. About the environment he is spot on.

Al Franken’s devastating strategy for taking on Trump’s team of climate science deniers

Knowledge of climate science plus mastery of storytelling is a rare combination.

Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) has emerged as one of Congress’ most devastating questioners of the myriad climate science deniers who fill President Donald Trump’s cabinet.

And it’s largely because the comedian turned Senator combines two abilities rarely seen together?—?actual knowledge of climate science and genuine communications chops. Franken knows how to tell a good story, and as the best science communicators will tell you, the best messaging requires storytelling.

Just last week Franken dismantled Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke in one hearing, and Energy Secretary Rick Perry in another. And by dismantled, I mean his doggedness drove Zinke to spout nonsense answers that a top climatologist called “stupid and ignorant,” while it drove Perry to simply lose his cool?—?a take-down that has since gone viral.

An oil pipeline runs from an on-shore facility. The Caelus Energy Oooguruk Development Project is situated on a six-acre gravel island in the Beaufort Sea that’s home to several producing oil wells, on the North Slope in Harrison Bay, Alaska, on Feb. 17, 2017.

A BP oil and gas production well in Alaska’s North Slope blew out Friday morning, and on Saturday afternoon, the well was still not under control as responders fought subfreezing temperatures and winds gusting up to 38 mph.

Efforts to get the well under control were also being hampered by damage to a well pressure gauge and by indications that the well itself has “jacked up,” or risen three to four feet, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation said in a situation report Saturday afternoon.

BP, whose Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico blew out and caused the largest oil spill in U.S. history, has responded to questions about the well, but information was limited and there was no estimate about volumes of natural gas and oil released.

What I wanted to do today was something positive and warm fuzzy today. BUT Dolt 45 (Donald “he’s not my president” Trump) started signing Executive Orders willy nilly on Monday Boosting Coal, Supporting finding coal on Public Lands, Ordering the review of regulations about Methane production in oil and natural gas production, and last but not least challenging the Clean Power Plan. This man is insane. On the same day that China signals their commitment to renewables, we go the opposite direction. I mean it is so 1950. What is he going to do next? Order us all to smoke cigarettes?

Long Legal Battles Ahead Over Trump’s Climate Order

Environmental groups and progressive states are vowing to battle President Trump in court over his push to repeal federal climate protections, and experts are warning that the battles ahead will be slow and protracted.

An executive order on energy regulations signed by Trump on Tuesday takes direct aim at President Obama’s landmark climate rule, the Clean Power Plan, which would limit greenhouse gas pollution from power plants beginning in 2022.

“It’s a more cautious and well thought-out executive order than the ones we’ve seen from Trump so far,” said Michael Wara, an energy and environmental expert at Stanford Law School.

Trump’s order doesn’t eliminate the power plant rules, instead directing the Environmental Protection Agency to review them and suspend or rescind or propose changes to any that “burden” energy production from coal and other fossil fuels. It requires similar reviews of other energy industry rules.

The bottom line here is that we don’t know. But I would hazard guess here, and that is, yes he did describe many sensitive issues. And not in a flattering way. Still we will have to wait and see what comes out.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson used a second alias email address to discuss climate change while he was chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil, according to a letter filed in court Monday by the New York Attorney General’s Office.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman alleges that from “at least 2008 to 2015” Tillerson, whose middle name is Wayne, used the “Wayne Tracker” pseudonym email “to send and receive materials regarding important matters, including those concerning to the risk-management issues related to climate change.”

Schneiderman is investigating whether ExxonMobil made “significant misrepresentations” about the risks posed by climate change to its shareholders.

“Despite the company’s incidental production of approximately 60 documents bearing the ‘Wayne Tracker’ email address, neither Exxon nor its counsel have ever disclosed that this separate email account was a vehicle for Mr. Tillerson’s relevant communications at Exxon,” the letter, which was filed in New York Supreme Court as part of a fraud investigation into the company, states.

Bill would penalize utilities for wind-generated electricity for Wyoming customers

A bill proposed by six state lawmakers would charge utilities a penalty if they use wind or solar energy to provide Wyoming consumers with electricity.

If Senate File 71 were law, there would be six permissible resources for generating electricity for Wyomingites, including natural gas and coal. Wind and solar are not on the list, except for individual use.

Utilities would have a year to reach the first compliance milestone of the bill, in which each company would have to get 95 percent of its Wyoming-sold energy from the approved resources.

The following year, 2019, companies must reach 100 percent compliance.

Oh my god. Is this my worse nightmare or what? A committed driller traveling the world for American Interests. What is the future of renewable energy, conservation and the sane use of scarce resources. I am sure he will encourage people to LEAVE their resources in the ground.

Mr. Tillerson, facing questions about Exxon Mobil’s history with climate science, admitted to at least a measure of strategic obfuscation during his testimony.

Senator Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, said that despite Mr. Tillerson’s view on climate change, Exxon continued to provide funding to groups that obscure the scientific consensus. He asked Mr. Tillerson to clarify what Exxon Mobil knew about climate change despite its public claims through the years.

“Senator, since I’m no longer with Exxon Mobil, I’m in no position to speak on their behalf,” Mr. Tillerson said.

Mr. Kaine reminded Mr. Tillerson that he was asking about Mr. Tillerson’s own experience, which included more than four decades at Exxon. “Do you lack the knowledge to answer my question, or do you refuse to answer my question?” Mr. Kaine asked.

Perishing Planet

Call to action on climate change

In 2015 Illinois Times and dozens of alternative weeklies and other newsmedia outlets participated in Letters to the Future, a project published ahead of the Paris climate talks that compiled letters from nationally acclaimed writers, scientists, intellectuals and other concerned citizens. As part of the project, the letters were dispatched to hundreds of targeted delegates and citizens before they convened at the Paris sessions.

Now, with the election over, we pick up where Letters to the Future left off with an article that examines what Donald Trump’s administration could mean for climate change – and a call to action list for what must come next.

If President-elect Donald Trump actually believes all the warnings he issued during the election about the threats of immigration, he should be talking about ways to slow global warming as well. Rising sea level, caused by the melting of the Antarctic and Greenland ice caps, will probably displace tens of millions of people in the decades ahead, and many may come to North America as refugees.

Climate change will cause a suite of other problems for future generations to tackle, and it’s arguably the most pressing issue of our time. A year ago December, world leaders gathered in Paris to discuss strategies for curbing greenhouse gas emissions, and scientists at every corner of the globe confirm that humans are facing a crisis. However, climate change is being nearly ignored by American politicians and lawmakers. It was not discussed in depth at all during this past election cycle’s televised presidential debates. And, when climate change does break the surface of public discussion, it polarizes Americans like almost no other political issue. Some conservatives, including Trump, still deny there’s even a problem.

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